The departure.....

I was sitting in my Jiju's car along with him, mom and dad. It was a cold Delhi night with fair chances of fog. I was praying to God that my flight departs Delhi, leave alone the big scary future lying ahead in front of me. For the first time, I understood the importance of CAT3 landing system installed at Delhi Airport. I was going to United States for my further studies. I never thought of going to US one year back. It all happened instantaneously. It felt so strange.

Our car was about to touch 100 Km/h at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and I could smell the familiar cold foggy air gushing inside, in-spite of closed windows. It was shivery and my feeling of trepidation added more chill into it. These Delhi roads seemed so familiar to me. It seemed as if I belonged here. Two years back in college, we used to stroll on these roads at night, returning from Gurgaon Malls,enjoying the beauty of Delhi at night. We had some sort of unsaid relation with these roads, buildings, the landscape. Smile came to my face as four years of my college life reverse-played in front of me. Within a matter of hours, I'll be far away from all this.

We finally reached Indira Gandhi International Airport Departure Terminal. I took out the luggage from the car. There were so many people from all over India, ready to leave their homeland in some time. Some had smiling faces, some had tensed smiles while others were too busy to provide any amenable expression. I kept all my luggage in carry-cart and waited my Jiju to come back from the parking bay. Mom Dad expressed their artificial smiles perfectly. I know what they'd be feeling at that time, but they kept their smiling faces upright and maintained the conversation with me.

Finally it was the time to bid Goodbye to Mom Dad and enter the terminal building. Mom Dad hugged me tightly and kissed me on my cheeks. I told them not to worry as I'll be back to India soon. I won't stay in US for sure. I carried my cart and joined the queue towards the entry gate. I turned back and saw Mom Dad leaving towards the waiting lounge. Suddenly Mom Dad turned back and saw me looking at them. They waved at me. I waved them back. My eyes got filled with tears but I didn't let them drop. I somehow controlled my emotions.

I entered the Terminal Building and did all the formalities. Baggage was checked-in and I obtained my boarding passes. My Jiju being an Air India employee was inside with me. I was constantly on phone with Mom Dad and was giving them updates about the nitty-gitties happening here. I finally bid goodbye to my Jiju and went to the waiting area. By the grace of CAT-III landing system, my flight was on time.

The announcement was made and my flight was ready to depart. I was sitting at left-corner seat in the middle deck of the aircraft. Drinks were being served, but my thoughts were deluged in memories of past. Memories of Mysore, Delhi, Lucknow, Pune. Memories about some of the most important people of my life. Suddenly my phone rang. It was "Dad calling...". I picked up the call. He was wishing me happy journey. Mom told me to take care of myself in the US. I was hardly able to talk. My voice was shaking but I kept myself in control. I finally switched off my phone. Within minutes, the flight took off the runway. My long journey to a strange alien land had commenced. I could see blistering city lights of Delhi from top. Slowly and gradually it all disappeared. My flight cruised swiftly towards the west, leaving behind all the rest.